Policies and Forms

School Policies

Arrival and Dismissal

Student safety and courtesy for others are matters of considerable importance at Silver Oak School. It is important that parents do their part to assist in this effort. We request that all families respect the traffic guidelines.

Drive all the way forward in the drive through areas before dropping off or picking up your child.

Make sure your child exits your vehicle through the passenger side.

Do not park your car and leave it unattended in the drive through areas.

Do not block handicap parking spots at any time.

At all of the entrances (main parking lot, bus loop and Trowbridge) make sure you pull all the way forward to pick up or drop off your child.

Do not double park at any time.

Do not park behind other cars, thus blocking their exit.

Backpacks should be easily accessible, and children should be prompted by drivers to move quickly and safely onto the sidewalk.

Please be courteous to the adults that are assisting our children in arriving and departing from school in a safe manner.

Regular attendance is essential to a student’s success in school. Persistent absenteeism creates a genuine hardship for a student and is regarded as a very serious problem. It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that their children arrive at school every day on time.

Please telephone school before 8:30 a.m. on the day your child is absent (408) 223-4515. You may receive a phone call at work or home verifying an absence.

Tardiness to class is harmful to the individual student and disruptive to the classroom. Students are marked “tardy” if they arrive at school after 8:05 a.m.

Tardy students must acquire a tardy slip from the office prior to going to class. Parents of students who have frequent absences will be contacted by the classroom teacher and/or the principal to discuss interventions to improve the child’s attendance pattern. Students with excessive absences or tardies may be referred to the Student Study Team, and /or District SARB Committee.

Campus Visitors

If you are bringing lunch, money, assignments, or have other business, please go directly to the office rather than the classroom where such interruptions can be disruptive. Parent volunteers are required to go to the office to sign the visitors’ log and pick up a visitor’s badge before going to the classroom. Parents wishing to visit their child’s classroom should telephone the teacher in advance for an appointment.

We ask that parents and family members who are dropping off and picking up students in the afternoon wait outside the building and not in the multipurpose room or classroom wings. Our students' safety and security is our highest priority.

Early Release from School

Students may not leave the school without permission. If you must remove your child prior to dismissal, please come to the office, and we will notify your child’s class. Please schedule appointments late in the afternoon to minimize disruptions to your child’s education.

Bicycle Policy

Students riding bicycles to school are required to observe the following rules. Silver Oak School assumes no liability in case of theft or vandalism.

Standards of Behavior

The staff of Silver Oak School is committed to the process of educating the whole child – academically, socially, physically, and emotionally. We value the individual and cultural differences that each child brings to the learning environment. Students are taught how to behave responsibly, make good decisions, and to resolve problems in an appropriate manner. All school rules apply during the instructional day including during the student’s way to and from school.

School Rules

Come prepared and ready to learn.

Arrive at school on time daily.

Treat others with courtesy and respect.

Be responsible.

Complete and return homework on time.

Keep our school clean and safe.

Discipline with Dignity

The Evergreen School District Board of Trustees adopted Discipline with Dignity in 1992. This philosophy is based upon several principles:

Long-term behavior changes vs. short-term quick fixes. Dealing with student behavior is part of the job. We will invest whatever time is needed to produce a change in behavior.

Being fair means treating students individually, based on what will work for them. We will not follow a lock-step method of assigning consequences. While the rules are uniform for all, specific consequences are assigned on an individual basis, based upon the needs, offense, and history of the student.

Always treat students with dignity. We use discipline techniques to help students maintain or enhance their self-esteem. We use privacy, eye contact, and proximity when correcting student behavior.

Consequences for Unacceptable Behavior

Consequences are related to the severity and frequency of the offenses: Warning/reminder of the rule, time out, loss of recess, exclusion from special activity, phone call to parent, parent conference, request for parent involvement, campus clean up, before school Friday detention, referral to administrator, behavior contract, escort to or from school, modified school day, systematic exclusion, and suspension from school.

Citations, Student Referrals

A citation addresses an infraction of a more serious rule. Student referrals are issued when a student is removed from the classroom and sent to the principal. In all cases, the teacher discusses the infraction with the student. The Citation or Student Referral is sent home for parent signature.

Severe Misconduct/Zero Tolerance

Continued misbehavior or serious misbehavior, fighting or threatening to cause injury, showing defiance of authority, obscenity or profanity, sexual harassment, and possession and /or use of a dangerous instrument or substance will result in immediate referral to the principal or assistant principal and the proper authorities. We stand for Zero Tolerance for weapons, potential weapons, and drugs.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited by policy of the Evergreen School District. The policy prohibits sexual harassment of any student by another student, an employee, or other person at school or at a school-sponsored or school-related activity. Any student who engages in sexual harassment is in violation of this policy and shall be subject to disciplinary action. Policy and procedures for reporting sexual harassment in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese are included in the September principal’s newsletter or can be requested from the district office.

Teacher/Parent/Student Responsibilities

Teacher Responsibilities

The skilled professionals at Silver Oak will:

Ensure that their students receive a well-planned day of instruction every day.

Respond to the students as individuals each day and set high expectations for their achievement.

Take all reasonable precautions to assure the students’ physical and psychological well-being while at school.

Parent Responsibilities

Our teachers care about children, and they are dedicated to making your child successful in school and providing a quality education for every student. To maintain an effective home/school partnership, we suggest the following:

Ensure that your child comes to school on time every day.

Reply promptly to all letters, notes, e-mails, and phone calls from school.

Ask your child every day about something that he/she learned.

Encourage your child to respect himself/herself, to respect the rights and property of others, and to obey all school rules.

Set aside some quiet time and a place every day for homework, and be prepared to give some help with assignments.

Become informed about school programs and speak with your child’s teacher whenever necessary.

Attend as many school-related activities as possible.

Student Responsibilities

Students are expected to be prepared to learn and have the following responsibilities:

Arrive at school every day on time.

Be prepared every day with completed homework assignments.

Take home all letters, messages, and notes.

Discuss with parents what they have learned in school; ask parents and teachers for help when needed.

Respect themselves and the rights and property of others; obey all school rules.

Expectations For Student Dress

Students are expected to dress appropriately and to be properly groomed for the school day. The type and style of clothing and hairstyle are individual and personal. The school shall be concerned only when these are extreme and could cause distractions or are unsafe. Appropriate shoes must be worn at all times for safety reasons. Shorts, skirts and dresses must be a minimum of fingertip-length.

Examples of inappropriate clothing may include:

Garments where the torso is exposed, such as tube tops, tank tops, half shirts, spaghetti straps and halter tops.

Clothing or buttons which show obscene words or pictures, sexually suggestive statements, drug or alcohol statements.

Hats (limited to playground during recess times; no backward caps are allowed).

Policies

Uniform Complaint Policy

The Evergreen School District Uniform Complaint Procedures define the formal process used in response to complaints by employees, students, parent/guardians, district or site advisory groups, and other interested parties regarding the state or federal categorical programs and/or civil rights guarantees. The annual written notification distributed to all relevant persons and groups outlines the steps of the process, specifies the timeline for the procedures, and names the district person responsible for receiving and processing the complaints.

Truancy Defined

At Silver Oak, we believe that a student's success in school is directly proportionate to being at school and on time daily. The California Department of Education agrees!

The California Legislature defines a truant in very precise language. In summary, it states that a student missing more than 30 minutes of instruction without an excuse three times during the school year must be classified as a truant and reported to the proper school authority. This classification and referral helps emphasize the importance of school attendance and is intended to help minimize interference with instruction. The California Education Code (EC) section that defines a truant reads as follows:

EC Section 48260 (a): Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse three full days or tardy or absent more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or the superintendent of the school district.

In compliance, Silver Oak will send out truancy letters accordingly. Should you have any questions about letters received, please contact the site Principal. Parents are reminded that a student absence from school is considered "excused" when it is due to illness, a medical/dental appointment, funeral service for a member of the student's immediate family, a court appearance, or religious observance. All other absences are considered to be "unexcused."